World People’s Conference on Climate Change and the Rights of Mother Earth
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The Bottom Line
- Carbon dioxide (CO2) concentrations in the atmosphere now stand at 385 parts per million (ppm), 67% above the average of the past 800,000 years, and 29% above the maximum of the same period.
- The rate of increase of CO2 is 2.2 ppm/year and getting faster.
- When atmospheric CO2 was above 450 ppm in the earth's history, the planet was completely ice-free, and sea level was 75 meters higher than today.
- The safe upper limit of atmospheric CO2 that we should aim to stay below is probably between 300-350 ppm. We have already overshot it and the longer we stay above that the more likely we will have set in motion long-term climate changes that will proceed beyond human control through powerful geophysical positive feedback mechanisms.
- Sudden warmings of a few degrees in the past have triggered mass extinctions. Current species extinction rate is estimated at 100 to 1000 times the average extinction rates in the evolutionary time scale of planet Earth. A mass extinction is underway and we have to reverse course quickly enough to prevent the worst.
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Activists in England, Italy, and the U.S. taking action to stop coal
Fri, 07/10/2009 - 15:03 — eli_beckermanThis unbelievable banner drop by Greenpeace activists at Mount Rushmore comes on the heels of a British jury finding anti-coal activists guilty of obstruction for their action stopping a train delivering coal to the Drax power plant in North Yorkshire, England.
A swarm of coal protests following the March 2nd Capitol Climate Action, and culminating this week as the Group of Eight (G8) negotiates climate policy in Italy, has made for an inspired counterweight to the industry-influenced proceedings in the halls of Congress and the negotiating tables of the G8 summit.
44 people were arrested in Charlotte, North Carolina, trying to halt Duke Energy's plans for a new coal power plant there. And NASA climate scientist Jim Hansen and actress Darryl Hannah were arrested, along with 29 others, in Sundial, West Virginia, for protesting mountaintop removal in that state.
Last week, climate change protestors in England were found guilty of obstruction, where the judge disallowed the same "necessity" defense used by the Kingsnorth Six to inspire a jury to acquit them on charges of defacing a coal chimney. Forced to defend themselves in court, one of the "Drax 29" who had stopped the coal train to the Drax power plant, offered an inspired closing argument making it clear that they were acting to stop the criminal destruction of our entire planet.
But the chilling judgment, including fines in the tens of thousands of dollars, did not scare Greenpeace activists and others from launching a powerful display of actions targeting coal ahead of and during the G8 climate talks in Italy. A number of coal power plants across Italy were made into visible displays challenging coal burning, telling G8 nations to "Lead or Lose". And closer to home, activists with Rising Tide hung a 25-foot banner on the outside of the Boston offices of the EPA, stating "Mountain Top Removal Kills Communities: EPA No New Permits. MountainJustice.org”
It promises to be an interesting summer leading up to the October 24th International Day of Climate Action and the UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen this December.
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SGF Mission Statement
The Secure Green Future (SGF) project educates, activates and empowers Massachusetts residents to effectively address the converging threats of climate change, resource depletion, and economic meltdown. We work to guide communities toward an essential economic transformation that will make possible a sustainable and just post-carbon future. SGF seeks to break the shackles of what is “politically feasible” and inspire change that addresses the magnitude and urgency of the dangers we are facing. We are committed to the principle of democratic empowerment as the most appropriate means for securing the just and sustainable future that we all deserve, and that is within our reach.
Landslide victories for the Secure Green Future ballot initiative!
Thanks to an incredible grassroots effort, the Secure Green Future ballot question has won in EVERY SINGLE DISTRICT it appeared, and by a total landslide margin! At least 153,252 voters said YES to a Secure Green Future on November 4th, netting the ballot question an astounding 81.44% of the vote!!!
Thanks to all of you who helped get these questions on the ballot and helped to spread the word to voters. Your efforts have paid off big time, and we now have clear evidence that the people of Massachusetts are READY for decisive action to fight climate change and energy uncertainty by transitioning to a secure, green economy NOW.
